I have been reading all the SILive comments to this tragic story. With over 200 comments, I see that Staten Islanders are tired of these animal attacks. A few years back, a 90-year-old veteran was killed from a pit bull attack. He survived a war to be killed by a dog.

Christopher P. DeMas, M.D., Director of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Staten Island University Hospital, says: “Bites from pit bulls inflict much more damage, multiple deep bites and ripping of flesh and are unlike any other domestic animal I’ve encountered. Their bites are devastating – close to what a wildcat or shark would do.”

Additionally, not all vets or canine behaviorists say “pit bulls are no more dangerous than a German shepherd.” For example, Hugh Wirth, veterinarian and president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Victoria, British Columbia, says: “They [pit bulls] are time bombs waiting for the right circumstances. The American pit bull terrier is lethal because it was a breed that was developed purely for dog fighting, in other words killing the opposition. They should never have been allowed into the country. They are an absolute menace. The fact of life is that the community doesn’t want American pit bull terriers. They’ve said it loud and clear over and over again – they want them banned.”

And Katherine Houpt, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Cornell and author of “Domestic Animal Behavior,” says: “Different breeds have genetic predispositions to certain kinds of behavior. The pit bull is an innately aggressive breed, often owned by someone who wants an aggressive dog.”